Simian Mobile Disco’s James Ford and Jas Shaw followed their debut’s success by riding the crest of that particular stylistic wave headlong into heavy-duty collaboration vehicleTemporary Pleasures. That album’s ‘sound’ was right on the money too, bringing together Gruff Rhys, Beth Ditto, Alexis Taylor, Jamie Lidell and one of Yeasayer to form an indomitable indie-dance super panoply. The results were underwhelming then, and, listening back, seem particularly lightweight now. The problem with nailing a zeitgeist is that it’s inherently ephemeral. To their credit, apparently sensing this, 2010’s follow up Delicacies – a compilation of tracks from a series of 12″s – wrong-footed everyone by being an album of enjoyably hard techno, serving as a fan sorting/alienating device.

So, forgive my trepidation when the press release states that its follow-up is an album ‘completely of the now.’ To continue reading this article please click here.